Happy New Years Eve to all of my fashion family! The New Year is about to be upon us just as soon as the clock strikes 12! As we move into this new decade all of our fashion missteps will be a thing of nightmares past as if the Bush Administration wasn’t enough to make you at least regret some of our poor decision making for the bulk of this past decade yes we have also foiled some critical editing in our own fashion evolution. Now we take a journey into a retrospective view of this past decade in men’s fashion. Make sure to fasten your seat belts because it just might be a bumpy ride.
2000-2004 (“
The West Coast Take Over”)
Now we all know that the east coast traditionally is where it’s at when it comes to the fashion radar! But, from 2000-2004 New York had to sit down and let the west coast run with the ball! Men started to wear brands such as Von Dutch and Ed Hardy! Trucker Hats became all the rage and farmer like facial hair was your ticket to be considered one of most stylish dudes in your entourage! Expensive eyewear paired with bedazzled Ed Hardy Tee’s punctuated with a pair of True Religion Jeans was the making of a great Justin Timberlake music video or a lazy afternoon in the mall!
On the urban side of the market it became all about the ice and no I’m not talking about the kind of ice that keeps your drinks cool but the ice wrapped around every Hip Hop stars, wannabe stars and hip hop addict’s wrist, neck, ears, and fingers! This was the time of the million-dollar music video so of course everything had to be to the max! 2000-2004 was a time when our pants grew to their biggest!
Oversized and completely drowning our frames in yards of unnecessary fabric, but hey that was hip hop being used as the catalysts to bring the urban market and branding power of that market to the forefront sparking new trends and generating new revenue options for retailers!
During the year of 2002 a new breed of man emerged! Well according to popular publications! The reality is that, that breed of man has always been around we just chose to call him by other names through the years in the past. In the 90’s we referred to him as the “Distinguished Gentlemen” and now we call him the “Metro Sexual!”
With the heavily sexually repressed culture of the US, we had to figure out away to overtly implement sex in a new found adjective to describe the well dressed, well manicured, well spoken, well read man who just happen to also be heterosexual! Why are these adjectives hypothetically affiliated with homosexuality here in the US to the point that we had to create a new word to incorporate a totally supposedly new demographic is still beyond me! But that speaks to just how repressed we are sexually as Americans! Neither the less this became a very big trend and is now a movement! With Diddy, Kanye West, and David Beckham taking the lead in this imaginary revelation we can say with certainty that it will no longer be frowned upon if a man decides he wants to put in a little extra grooming time! He can be proud of his newfound sense of hygiene and not have to be worried about being called gay because of it! (lol) I guess if the title works for you then continue to rock it proud fellas! Being a man I feel its no need for a title to assert yourself as still being a man no matter how much grooming time one may invest in himself! But that’s just my opinion!
2004-2006 (“
The Foreign Fashion Ambassadors”)
Now during this time my fashion elite were the only ones really aware of this movement! Most of general male population was still riding the west coast wave being sent in via La! This movement was so not mainstream because of the strict weight requirements to even be able to pull off this look! A Dior Homme Suit was a status symbol, kind of like rocking a Benz on your back! Not only are these suits ridiculously expensive but they are also made with unforgiving cuts and extremely skinny silhouettes! But the look said Filthy Rich Rock Star all the way, and the celebrities that could slide into a Dior Homme number, did just that!
2007-2009 (“
The History Wheel Of Fashion Repeats”)
This last segment of our decade in review is truly a montage of old school throwback looks getting revived and revamped! Being an 80’s baby I’ve saw the reemergence of a lot of fashion trends from the decade that I was born in! Big shoulder pads, our men’s jeans shrinking back down to fit so tight that you can see our print, and I’m not talking about our wallet print, along with bright neon like colors being slid back into our color wheel is a sign of the times.
Fashion is always known to repeat itself every 10 years, so I don’t find this trend that crazy! Although fellas I will give you this advice if you think over sized jeans are going to make a comeback anytime soon give it a rest! You won’t see the reemergence of over sized jeans for at least another 8-9 years! If you are having difficulties understanding that just read my previous post “
Skinny Jeans 4 Men Friend or Foe,” it will explain the history of tight fitting jeans and why we are now back to that trend!
Another
2008-2009 trend that is a blast from the past is one that I have coined the “
Bill Cosby” it’s described as the old man look! Think Color Purple if that helps put it in better perspective! Cosby and other famous 80’s/90’s actors such as Richard Gear in “American Gigolo” are the fashion plates for this trend! Suspenders, bow ties, Heavy acrylic stylized sweater’s, bright colored woven shirts with bright colored socks, loafers, and a pair of Geek chick glasses to set this look off! A blazer or sports coat in the grey or navy family is also a perfect way of completing this look that I call the “Bill Cosby.”
Now don’t confuse this for the nerd/prep look, which is also just as equally as popular! For all of my fellas whom may require a reference for this particular look think the character Chuck Bass from “
Gossip Girl!” He is a perfect reference for that refined nerd/preppy look which too is heavily popularized by Mr. Kanye West! Kanye tends to favor both of these looks one minute it’s the full beard nerd glasses, and Acrylic looking sweater and the next it’s a collegiate looking blazer with a deep v-neck sweater, clean face, with Louis bag.
Either way you spin it, it would appear that as we move into the new decade men will be looking for more tailored looking clothing that will speak to the refined men that we have grown to become over this past decade! I can honestly say I’m looking forward to see what this new decade shall bring.
Well as always that’s my time family! I love you all and I would like to wish you all a Happy New Year! As always if you have any fashion question or general life questions feel more then free to hit me up via twitter @DarrylDwayne or email me at DarrylDwayne@RemixImageConsulting.com as always Be Blessed! Lets make 2010 ROCK!!
